Chinese real estate developers offered these residents money to move from their apartments so that the building could be demolished. Since they did not take the money, builders started working around them and left only one entrance open to the stubborn occupants.
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i suspect they are not as stubborn as some think. they probably know that they get to collect more money if the water, electrical and sewage services are cut. they are probably enjoying their breathing room for the moment and waiting for the offer to be raised. this strategy is hardly peculiar to china, although the way it played out maybe is.